The Godfather is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made (it’s no Mafia!, but it’s close), but the production was not without its difficulties. Multiple directors were considered before Francis Ford Coppola took the job (and even he initially turned it down as he found Mario Puzo’s source material to be “pretty cheap stuff”). Executives did not want Marlon Brando, long past the height of his fame, cast as Don Corleone. And the real-life mafia tried to shut down the filming of the eventual-Best Picture winner.
Despite all that, The Godfather turned out to be an influential masterpiece, inspiring the most re-watchable movie and HBO series of all-time. It will also serve as the inspiration for Francis and the Godfather, about the making of the film.
Deadline reports that the drama will cover “the legendary and wild battles that went into making the 1972 classic The Godfather,” starring Oscar Isaac as Coppola and Taylor Swift fan target Jake Gyllenhaal as producer Robert Evans. Francis and the Godfather will be directed by Barry Levinson, who has Coppola’s full support. “Any movie that Barry Levinson makes about anything, will be interesting and worthwhile,” he said:
It will be very interesting to see who Levinson casts to play Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen), James Caan (Sonny Corleone), John Cazale (Fredo), Talia Shire (Connie Corleone), Diane Keaton (Kay Corleone) and the rest of that fantastic cast. But the film focuses on the clashes between filmmaker and a studio chief who needed a hit.
At least we already know Oscar Isaac works well with cats. The Offer, a Paramount+ scripted series “about the making of The Godfather from the perspective of film producer Al Ruddy,” is also in the works.
(Via Deadline)